actor

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Lisa Jakub (born December 27, 1978) is a Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former actress. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Hillard in the comedy-drama film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and as Alicia Casse in Independence Day (1996).

Childhood and education

Jakub was born on December 27, 1978, in Toronto, Ontario. She is of Slovak (father) and Welsh and Scottish (mother) descent. She attended multiple schools in her early life, including Hillfield Strathallan College.

Jakub graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in sociology in 2010.

Acting

Jakub's first role was as Katis' Granddaughter in the 1985 film Eleni. She appeared in comedy-drama film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) alongside Mara Wilson, Sally Field, Matthew Lawrence, and Robin Williams. When Jakub received the part of Lydia in Mrs. Doubtfire, her high school expelled her for accruing too many absences. Robin Williams wrote a letter to Jakub's high school, pleading with them to re-admit Jakub but this was unsuccessful.

She played Sandra in Matinee (1993), appeared in A Pig's Tale (1994) and Independence Day (1996), The Beautician and the Beast (1997), and played the "inspiration" for Princess Leia in the short film George Lucas in Love (1999). She starred in Picture Perfect (1995) and portrayed a bordello worker in the American Old West in Painted Angels (1997).

Personal life

Jakub retired from acting in 2001 at the age of 22 and soon moved to Virginia. In 2005, she married Jeremy Jones, a longtime friend and former theatre manager. Jakub stated she has no plans to return to acting.

Jakub later became a writer, authoring two non-fiction books: the autobiography You Look Like That Girl (2015) and Not Just Me (2017). She also contributes to online blogs.

Jakub is a qualified Kripalu yoga teacher. She has openly discussed her battles with anxiety, depression and panic attacks, from which she has suffered since her teenage years, and credits her yoga practice for helping her to overcome them. In 2021, Lisa launched a new website, BlueMala, which she described as the resource that she wished she had when she was in her darkest moments. The website contains her articles on mental wellness along with her yoga and meditation videos.

Writings

You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up (2015)

Not Just Me: Anxiety, Depression, and Learning to Embrace Your Weird (2017)

(Don't) Call Me Crazy (contributing writer) (Algonquin, 2018)